Your Vote Counts!

It’s Election Day, don’t miss your opportunity to vote in the 2020 Presidential General Election.

• Deposit your ballot in a Ballot Drop Box anywhere in Orange County by 8:00 p.m. There are two in Brea, at the Brea Sports Park, 3333 E Birch St, and in the circular driveway in front of the Brea Civic & Cultural Center, 1 Civic Center Cir.
• Visit an in-person Voting Center, open until 8:00 p.m. Stop by any location in Orange County. Two are in Brea, at the Civic & Cultural Center and at Pioneer Hall, 304 W Elm St, adjacent to the Brea Senior Center.
• Mail your ballot back. No postage is required, just make sure it’s postmarked by November 3.

For more information, visit ocvote.com/voting or cityofbrea.net and look for the voting icon on the homepage.

Virtually Join us to Honor Veterans on November 11

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Brea's annual Veterans Day Ceremony will be virtual this year. Join us as we recognize all Veterans and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The virtual ceremony will be aired on Veterans Day, which is on Wednesday, November 11, at 10:00 a.m. on BreaTV channels 3 and 99, online, and on the City’s YouTube channel.

Brea Ridge Fire Update

Last week, the Blue Ridge Fire began burning at approximately 1:00 p.m. in the City of Yorba Linda. The fire continues to burn in Yorba Linda and Chino Hills. Cal Fire, the lead agency managing the response, is reporting as of November 3, that the fire is 13,694 acres and 93% contained. Although the fire never reached Brea, it was a threat to our community due to heavy fuel in the canyon area and the unpredictable nature of the weather. The Blue Ridge Fire ended up impacting the neighborhoods in the east side of town. The neighborhoods of Olinda Village and Hollydale were under mandatory evacuations. Olinda Ranch and the Brea Hills neighborhoods were under voluntary evacuations. And, Carbon Canyon Road was entirely closed through Chino Hills. The Brea Fire and Police departments, along with City staff, were grateful for the community’s patience and cooperation during the evacuations and road closure. All decisions were made to ensure the safety of our residents and their safe return home. Please use last week’s fire as a reminder to prepare for the next emergency. Have an evacuation plan, make an emergency kit, prepare a family communication plan, and, sign-up for AlertOC at www.alertoc.com. Also, stay informed by following the City’s official social media accounts and sign-up to receive City of Brea website notifications.

Online Permitting Solution Launches

Last month, the City’s Community Development Department, along with the Fire Department and Engineering Division, implemented Accela, a cloud-based permitting solution for government. This new system helps provide a powerful permit processing application that can be accessed via the web. The Building & Safety Division implemented this web-based solution in an effort to streamline processes for residents, contractors, and internal staff. As work-from-home mandates continue for citizens, businesses, and government agencies, new workflows and systems must be implemented for accepting plans, documents, or payments. As online transactions have become a necessity, implementing Accela’s robust online services helps support Brea’s development partners. The Accela system provides an online citizen portal for plan submittals and convenience with more ways to access information. City inspectors will soon begin using the inspector app that allows for real-time field inspections, followed by a personalized email sent directly to the customer. The Accela system is in line with the City’s continued efforts to facilitate development during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Citywide Sewer CCTV Project Update

Earlier this year, the Brea City Council awarded a contract to Pipe Tec, Inc. to perform the Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) inspection of sewer mains throughout the City. This CCTV inspection provides information on any defects, intrusions, and/or broken materials in the existing system. This information is then utilized in the Sewer Master Plan Update to evaluate future sewer projects in the Capital Improvement Programs (CIP).  Since the commencement of the work in April, Pipe Tec, Inc. has completed over 471,000 linear feet of inspection, which is about 70% of the total 656,676 linear feet of sewer mains to be inspected. This project is estimated to be completed by February of 2021.

Keep Yourself and Our Community Safe from the Spread of COVID-19

In order to slow the spread of COVID-19, we encourage the community to continue complying with all State and County health orders, as well as using best health practices. Stay vigilant and follow the best practices listed below.

• Wash hands frequently and for at least 20 seconds.
• Wear a face covering in public.
• Disinfect commonly touched surfaces, such as cell phones, door knobs, light switches, keys, etc.
• Physically distance and avoid mixing with those you do not live with.

• More COVID-related information is available at cityofbrea.net/covid19.